Fools were out and about this week in an investing world jam-packed with actions and ideas. Here are three articles you might find useful as you decide how to invest your money.

Where to Look for Surprising Dividends

You can probably talk the talk. Emerging markets … China's middle class … BRICS and PIIGS. But are you willing to walk the walk and put money into foreign companies? It's OK if you're not. It's OK if you want to start with baby steps.

Fool editor and writer Dan Caplinger suggested Canada as a spot to start your international investing adventure. "After all, Canada is closely linked economically to the U.S. and is our biggest trading partner," Dan wrote. "It's also easy to invest in Canadian companies, as many of them list their shares on U.S. stock exchanges or are available via exchange-traded funds."

Click to the link to see Dan's list of Canadian "dividend aristocrats" worthy of your research, including Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE: BNS), Thomson Reuters (NYSE: TRI), and Encana (NYSE: ECA).

Why Buzz and Woody Aren't Shrek

Don't let looks fool you. Raisin cookies look a lot like chocolate chip cookies from a distance, but if you're craving one, the other is not going to do. Which, of course, leads me to the latest Shrek and Toy Story movies. The fourth installment of DreamWorks Animation's (Nasdaq: DWA) Shrek saga has failed to wow, noted Fool editor and writer Nathan Alderman. But animated sibling Toy Story 3 -- the third installment of Disney's (NYSE: DIS) Toy Story -- has a few things going for it that Shrek Forever After doesn't.

"As Shrek, Donkey, and friends have apparently worn out their welcome in an effort to shovel audiences' cash into DreamWorks' coffers, viewers have built up their anticipation for more adventures of Woody and Buzz Lightyear," Nathan wrote.

Click to the article and its comments section to weigh in on these beloved characters' latest forays into movie theaters.

Is Ford Falling Behind?

Fool contributor John Rosevear used the auto industry to illustrate that down doesn't mean out. You remember General Motors, right? Maybe you prefer to call it "Government Motors."

"GM might finally be staggering to its feet, but it's still staggering," John wrote. "And now we're hearing that this trainwreck is the company that has run past [Ford (NYSE: F)] and [Toyota (NYSE: TM)] for a solid first place in U.S. sales?"

Click to the article for a look at some of the numbers and John's thoughts on whether a real GM turnaround is emerging.